Field of the Invention
The present disclosure is directed to a damper for mitigating blast waves in a duct.
Background of the Invention
It is known that ignition of a flammable mixture in a duct may create a blast wave which propagates along the duct. This is a particular issue in oil or gas production platforms, where such flammable mixtures may arise. If such a blast wave propagates into a region where there are people, this may cause significant injury, such as burst eardrums or damaged lungs. The provision of louvers to inhibit such blast waves is known, but louvers cannot shut sufficiently quickly to prevent passage of the pressure wave.
Consequently, there is a need for a blast protection damper to prevent passage of pressure waves. Additional needs include the rapid closure of dampers to prevent passage of pressure waves.